Labrador Letter: East Idaho Partnerships

Dear Friends,

Last week I traveled to Idaho Falls to recognize two detectives who've spent years tracking down some of the worst criminals in our state. Detective Jared Mendenhall of the Idaho Falls Police Department and Detective Korey Payne of the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office recently reached 100 combined Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) arrests.

One hundred arrests mean one hundred predators who sought to exploit children are now facing justice. It means countless children protected from harm. And it represents years of investigations that most of us couldn't stomach doing for a single day.

ICAC investigators see things that would break most people. They carry that weight because protecting children is worth it. Detective Mendenhall works with his K9 partner, Ardis, an electronic detection dog trained to locate hidden digital devices. Together they've uncovered evidence in investigations that might have otherwise gone undetected. These detectives, and our entire ICAC team across Idaho, are doing difficult and often thankless work to protect Idaho families.

Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson and Bonneville County Sheriff Samuel Hulse joined us at the award ceremony and they have been great partners with our office in making the protection of Idaho families a priority. Their support has been an essential part in ICAC's success in East Idaho. After the ceremony, I visited the office Mendenhall and Payne share at the Idaho Falls Police Department. Despite working for different agencies, they work side by side, which helps them collaborate even more effectively on these cases. Between their desks, strung the 100 mugshots and counting from the ceiling of every bad guy they'd investigated and arrested. It's a daily reminder that these are real people committing real crimes, and the difficult work they do helps real families from being harmed by this evil.

While in Idaho Falls, I also sat down with Neal Larson and Julie Mason on their radio show. We talked about the transformation we've made with our ICAC Task Force, defending Idaho's school choice and parental rights law, and our U.S. Supreme Court case defending women's sports next month. You can listen to that interview here.

I also toured Idahoan Foods in Idaho Falls and watched raw Idaho potatoes become the dehydrated flakes you see on shelves nationwide. Then I visited Teton Outfitters in Rigby, manufacturers of Klim motorcycle and snowmobile gear. What started as a dorm room idea is now a $100 million brand. I saw their design and research centers, participated in demonstrations of new protective materials, and talked with employees throughout both facilities.

East Idaho has a lot to be proud of. My office will keep partnering with leaders across Idaho who understand what matters most: protecting families, supporting the people who keep our communities safe, and defending the freedoms that let Idaho businesses and Idaho families thrive.

Best,